Schiller: about Walkup, who has become semi-Lithuanian and the character who shows himself in the most difficult moment / News

Photo: BNS

Photo: BNS

Photo: BNS

Photo: BNS

Photo: BNS

In the dramatic Kaunas match “Žalgiris”, Piraeus “Olympiacos” was played fantastically, and head coach Martin Schiller after the victory was pleased with the character and peace shown by the students and did not skimp on the praise of Thomas Walkup .

“Congratulations to our men for a great fight on the field. The most important factor was a better defense in the second half. Olympiacos had an advantage at the end, but the men remained calm and thus gave themselves a chance to win.

In the end, you also need some luck. I think we made a couple of hard shots and then Thomas played really well on defense. However, it is necessary to win success with a lot of work, so we congratulate the team with that, ”said the strategist after the victory.

– Can you remember what happened in your mind during the last attack when Walkup took over the ball?
– He defended one by one, tried to hit the ball with his right hand and succeeded. He seemed unable to stand up, but he did. Spanoul chased him from behind and Jean-Charles tried to block the pitch. Thomas got up off his right leg and landed hard with his right hand. I really remember. And this whole attack really took a long time.

– It certainly helped that he had risked a foul in action. How would you comment on this situation?
– As you said yourself: it gave you the opportunity to take the risk of seizing the ball, and it worked. There are two outcomes: ball intercepted or foul. I’m glad the ball was caught today.

– Thomas was not productive and this is not the first case of its kind. Maybe you can name what he brings to the field without points?
– First of all, Thomas’s horse is a good defense. He is a disciplined player who knows and fulfills his tasks. In attack, he brings strength and height to the player’s position. He wasn’t a player in college, so his development is fun.

Man of the match

Effective transfers

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When he got to college, he was a basketball player who played first, second, third and fourth positions. Then he came to Ludwigsburg, which was dominated by a defense-based strategy, and then Žalgiris came, who did a great job inviting him.

His development from an extremely versatile basketball player to a player is quite impressive. This is not easy to do, so your work should be appreciated.

He also stands out for his great character and leadership. Thomas is practically Lithuanian. I mean the Lithuanian core with Jankūnas, Grigonis, Milaknis. Thomas is like a Lithuanian.

Why? Because he’s been here a long time. It is associated with the club and in part even with the whole country. This is very important and outsiders may not even see it. In all training sessions he works with the same enthusiasm and in a very professional way. I am very happy to have him on the team.

– You have been stuck in the past against changing defense. What allowed such a defense to play successfully today?
– The main change was to look more for a man in a penalty area, but for this you have to get out of the barrier faster because otherwise there is no advantage. We tried to slide quickly from the barriers, looking for someone to pass the ball to. If this failed, vWe tried to move the ball so much because we didn’t want to be static.

It also depends on some players. The strength of some is the breakthrough after the bags, others are not so strong in such situations. With one in five we wanted to attack on the penalty area, with another, to make even different decisions.

– As for the front, in Russia it seemed that you did not control the fight for the balls. What has changed today?
– I agree with you. Who said JoJo was taking off form! Nothing has changed too much. It is difficult in this league. Milutinov is a beast, so it’s not easy. It’s not that we don’t want to fight for the balls.

Zenit is also strong under the basket, nothing is easy in this league. But it was an important show for JoJo and I think it will give her confidence. We believe in him and he is our man.

– Sloukas started very well, but then faded away. What did you do in defense?
– The guys did a great job after the break. We adjusted it and stopped it a bit. A little because he is a fantastic player. Like Spanoulis, whose specific actions on the pitch bear his name. When the combinations are called by your name, you know that you are playing against a legend.

– Today, Marius Grigonis hit the attack, hitting two shots out of nine. Are there times when you have to urge him not to lower his head?
– He moved the ball perfectly today and did not rush events. I think it adapted. Seeing that something was wrong, he tried to find solutions in other situations. However, I agree that there are times when he is not happy with himself and sometimes I have to help him.

– Another match with many effective passes. What did you think of that image?
– Men share the ball from the beginning. It is very important to us and I certainly like it. I don’t know coaches who don’t like it. However, sharing a ball is not that easy because you have to create some advantage.

– There was noise of artificial fan in the sand. Were you able to hear it and what impression did it make on you?
– Yes, especially listened to before the game. I heard “applause from Kaunas”, it was really cool.